Portable weightable cover



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INVFTN TOR. SAMUEL SOLOMON M cr m A TI'ORNEYS y 5. 1970 S. SOLOMON 3,509,585

PORTABLE WEIGHTABLE COVER Filed Sept. 18, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 la mu Fl 6. 3 @b 0 Md z; /4

INVENTOR. /66 /9 SAMUEL SOLOMON MsFM A T TOR NE Y5 FIG.5

United States Patent 3,509,585 PORTABLE WEIGHTABLE COVER Samuel Solomon, 2401 65th St., Brooklyn, N.Y. 10004 Filed Sept. 18, 1967, Ser. No. 668,534 Int. Cl. E04h 3/19 US. Cl. 4-172-12 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Sleeves of plastic vinyl cover material are affixed to a sheet of plastic vinyl material in the area of the edges thereof. Each of the sleeves comprises a closed envelope adapted to contain ballast and an opening in the envelope for the supply and removal of ballast. Each of the sleeves is movable to a position in juxtaposition with the sheet. A sheet of meshed material on the sheet of cover material is interposed between the sheet of cover material and each of the sleeves at its boundary areas.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present invention relates to a portable weightable cover. More particularly, the invention relates to a portable cover which is especially adapted for use in covering swimming pools and which may be weighted in use to maintain it in position.

Description of the prior art Covers of the type which may be utilized for covering swimming pools and relatively large areas are extremely heavy, unwieldy and ditficult to work with. Portable covers are lighter in weight and easier to work with. Portable covers are, however, often shifted in position by breezes or rain or the like, so that they are unreliable in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable cover. The cover of the present invention is readily weightable in use to maintain it in position. The cover of the present invention is of light weight and is readily foldable to a small size and portable. The cover of the present invention is easy to handle and easy to work with. The cover of the present invention is stable in position and reliable in use.

In accordance with the present invention, a portable weightable cover comprises a sheet of cover material having bounding edges. Sleeves are affixed to or integrally formed with the sheet in the area of the edges thereof. Each of the sleeves comprises a closed envelope adapted to contain ballast and an opening in the envelope for the supply to and removal from the envelope of ballast. The sheet is of geometrical configuration and sheet and each of the sleeves comprises a plastic vinyl material. Each of the sleeves comprises a closed envelope adapted to contain water and an opening in the envelope for the supply to and removal from the envelope of water, and each of the sleeves is affixed to and extends along a corresponding edge of the sheet and is movable to a position in juxtaposition with the sheet.

The sheet may be of polygonal configuration having a plurality of bounding edges, and the number of sleeves is then equal to the number of edges. The cover may 3,509,585 Patented May 5, 1970 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In order that the present invention may be readily carried into effect, it will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a segmented top view of an embodiment of the cover of the present invention in use position, but unweighted;

FIG. 2 is a top view of a corner of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in unfolded non-use position, and unweighted;

FIG. 3 is a side view, partly in section, of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in use position, weighted, covering a swimming pool;

FIG. 4 is a sectional side view, on an enlarged scale, of part of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in use position, weighted and utilizing a sheet of meshed material; and

FIG. 5 is a top view of a corner of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in use position, but unweighted, and utilizing a sheet of meshed material.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the figures, the same components are identified by the same reference numerals.

The cover of the present invention preferably comprises plastic vinyl material of any suitable type. When not in use, the cover may be readily folded to a compact and small size in the manner of a bed sheet. For the purposes of illustration, the cover of the present invention is shown in its unfolded condition in the figures.

Although the cover of the present invention may be utilized to cover any suitable area, or any substantially large size area, it is illustrated in FIG. 3 as covering a swimming pool or large open vessel, for which it is suitable.

The cover of the present invention comprises a sheet 11 of cover material of any suitable type such as, for example, plastic vinyl material. The sheet 11 may be of any desired geometrical configuration such as, for example, any suitable polygon, adequate to cover the area it is desired to cover. The sheet 11 functions to cover the area to be covered such as, for example, a swimming pool 12 (FIG. 3).

The sheet 11 has a plurality of bounding edges 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d in the example of FIG. 1. Although a sheet 11 of rectangular configuration is illustrated in order to maintain the clarity of illustration, said sheet may be of pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal, or any suitable polygonal configuration.

A sleeve 14a is affixed to the edge 13a of the sheet 11 and extends along said edge. A sleeve 14b is affixed to the edge 13b of the sheet 11 and extends along said edge. A sleeve 14c is aflixed to the edge 13c and extends along said edge. A sleeve 14a is affixed to the edge 13d and extends along said edge. The sleeves 14a, 14b, 14c and are substantially identical and may be integrally formed with the sheet 11. Each of the sleeves 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d comprises any suitable material for functioning in the hereinafter described manner such as, for example, plastic vinyl material.

Each of the sleeves 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d comprises a closed envelope (FIGS. 3 and 4) adapted to contain ballast such as, for example, water or other suitable fluid or liquid, sand, or the like. Each of the sleeves has an Opening therein for the supply of ballast to the envelope comprised by the sleeve and for the removal of ballast from the envelope comprised by the sleeve. Thus, the sleeve 14a has an opening 15a, the sleeve 14b has an opening 1521, the sleeve 14c has an opening 150, and the sleeve 14d has an opening 15d.

Each of the openings 15a, 15b, 15c and 15d is selectively covered by a fluid-tight cap (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) which is manually positioned to either cover or uncover the corresponding opening. Thus, for example, a cap 16b is provided for the opening 15b of the sleeve 14b (FIGS. 3 and 4) and a cap 16d is provided for the opening 15d of the sleeve 14d (FIG. 3).

Each of the sleeves 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d is movable from an extending position, as shown in FIG. 2, for the sleeves 14c and 14d, to a use position in juxtaposition with the sheet 11, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 5.

A sheet 17 of meshed material or screening may be positioned on the sheet 11 of cover material (FIGS. 4 and 5). The sheet 17 is interposed at its boundary areas between the sheet 11 of cover material and each of the sleeves 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d (FIGS. 4 and 5). The sheet 17 of meshed material may comprise plastic or other suitable material in intermeshed strands or fibers and functions to collect leaves and debris falling on the sheet 11 of cover material thereby enabling rapid and facile removal of such leaves and debris.

Each of the sleeves 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d is heat sealed to the corresponding edge of the sheet 11 and is formed in an envelope by a heat seal. The heat seals are mitered to prevent overlap between adjacent sleeves. The sleeve 14a thus is formed by a heat seal 18a and is atfixed to the edge 13a of the sheet 11 by a heat seal 19a (FIG. 1). The sleeve 14b is formed by a heat seal 18b and is afilxed to the edge 13b of the sheet 11 by a heat seal 19b (FIG. 1). The sleeve 140 is formed by a heat seal 18c and is afiixed to the edge 13c of the sheet 11 by a heat seal 19c (FIGS. 1, 2 and 5). The sleeve 14a is formed by a heat seal 18d and is affixed to the edge 13d of the sheet 11 by a heat seal 19d (FIGS. 1, 2 and 5).

The material of each of the sleeves 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d preferably has a thickness of 20 mils whereas the sheet 11 preferably has a thickness of 12 mils, although any suitable thickness may be utilized in accordance with the use to which the cover is to be put.

When the cover of the present invention is not in use, the sleeves 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d are devoid of ballast and said cover may be folded on itself several times, in the manner of a bed sheet. When the cover of the present invention is used such as, for example, to cover a swimming pool (FIG. 3) it is unfolded and the sheet 11 of cover material is spread over the pool. The sleeves 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d are moved to positions in juxtaposition with the sheet 11 (FIGS. 1 and 5). If a sheet of meshed material or screen 17 is desired to be used, said sheet is positioned on the sheet 11 before the sleeves are moved into juxtaposition with the sheet 11 (FIG. 5).

The sleeves 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d are then supplied via their corresponding openings a, 15b, 15c and 15d, respectively, with appropriate ballast such as, for example, water. The sleeves rest on firm supports around the area to be covered such as, for example, on the coping or walk 21 around the pool (FIG. 3). When the sleeves have ballast in them, they anchor or maintain the sheet 11 in position and prevent said sheet from. moving off the pool (FIG. 3) even in a heavy breeze, wind or rainfall. The sleeves also maintain the screen 17 in position and prevent it from shifting position. The ballast-bearing sleeves prevent the occurrence of stresses in the outer heat seals 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d, since the weight of the ballast which frictionally retards and prevents movement of the Cir extremities of the cover rests upon the cover itself, there being no substantial stressing of the heat sealed joints or seals per se. Sand may be used for ballast.

When it is desired to remove the cover, the ballast is removed from the sleeves 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d via the corresponding openings 15a, 15b, 15c and 15d, said sleeves are moved back to their initial positions shown in FIG. 2 and the screen 17 is removed. The leaves and debris are removed from the screen 17 and the cover is folded for storage.

While the invention has been described by means of a specific example and in a specific embodiment, I do not wish to be limited thereto, for obvious modifications will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

l. A portable weightable cover, comprising a sheet of cover material having an outer bounding edge and at least one sleeve, said sleeve including a closed envelope adapted to contain ballast and an opening in said envelope for the supply to and removal from the envelope of ballast, an edge of said envelope being made integral with said sheet in the area of said bounding edge, said envelope being adapted to be movable between a use position wherein said envelope will substantially be positioned between said integral edge and the inner portion of the said cover sheet and an extended position wherein said integral edge of said envelope is positioned between said envelope and the inner portion of the sheet, whereby a sheet of meshed material having a boundary edge can be interposed between said sheet of cover material and said envelope when said envelope is in said use position.

2. A portable weightable cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sheet and said sleeve comprises a thermo' plastic vinyl resin.

3. A portable weightable cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ballast is water.

4. A portable weightable cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sheet is of polygonal configuration having a plurality of bounding edges and the number of sleeves is equal to the number of bounding edges, each of said sleeves including an envelope, an edge of each of said envelopes being made integral with said sheet in the boundary area of and extending along a corresponding one of said edges, each of said envelopes being adapted to be movable between said use position and said extended position, whereby a sheet of meshed material having a plurality of bouding edges can be interposed between said sheet of cover material and said envelopes when said envelopes are in said use position.

5. A portable weightable cover as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a sheet of meshed material, said sheet of meshed material having a boundary edge interposed between said sheet of cover material and said sleeve when said sleeve is in the use position.

6. A portable weightable cover as claimed in claim 4, wherein said sheet and each of said sleeves comprises a thermoplastic vinyl resin and said ballast is water.

7. A portable weightable cover, comprising a sheet of cover material having an outer bounding edge and at least one sleeve, siad sleeve including a closed envelope adapted to contain ballast and an opening in said envelope for the supply to and removal from the envelope of ballast, an edge of said envelope being made integral with said sheet in the area of said bounding edge, said envelope being substantially between said integral edge and the inner portion of said cover sheet.

8. A portable weightable cover according to claim 7, wherein said sheet is of polygonal configuration having a plurality of bounding edges and the number of said sleeves is equal to the number of bounding edges, each of said sleeves including an envelope being made integral with said sheet in the area of a respective 5 6 bounding edge, each of said envelopes lying substantial- References Cited lsgigvectxsrn its integral edge and the inner portion of UNITED STATES PATENTS A Portable g table cover as claimed in claim 2,883,676 /1959 Kwake. 5, further comprising a sheet of meshed material on 7,610 2/1963 Gazdik.

said sheet of cover material having boundary areas interposed between Said sheet of cover material and each SAMUEL ROTHBERG Pumary Exammer of said sleeves at its boundary areas. H. K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner 

